UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL SCIENCE
SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
COURSE: BIOTERRORISM 407
NAME: AGYEMANG MARTIN
REGISTRATION NUMBER: BS/FSC/18/0016
JUSTIFY WHETHER COVID-19 IS A BIOTERRORIST ATTACK
The broad virus family known as corona viruses can cause a wide range of illnesses, from the
common cold to more serious conditions. On the other hand, the novel coronavirus and the
illness it produces are mostly unknown. As a result, the spread of COVID-19 and the number
of fatalities it will produce are rather unpredictable. Additionally, no particular medication is
currently advised for the prevention or treatment of this kind of coronavirus. Numerous
research has been conducted to identify the origins of SARS-CoV-2, but none of them have
produced a definitive result. Middle East respiratory disease (MERS) and severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) are caused by coronaviruses that originated in bats.
In Wuhan, China, the virus first surfaced on a modest level in November 2019, followed by the
first significant outbreak in December, 2019. Later ideas expressed worry that SARS-CoV-2
may have started as a form of bioterrorism in China, contrary to the initial theory that it made
the transition to people at one of Wuhan, China's open-air "wet markets."
According to scientific data, humans contracted the COVID-19 virus from animals. There has
not been any solid evidence to support the claim that COVID-19 is a biological weapon. Since
the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, concerns such as "Is covid-19 an act of bioterrorism? Will
terrorist groups be motivated by its effects to consider it as a sort of biological attack?" have
surfaced. Scientists have argued regarding the origin of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 ever
since its emergence . It has been hypothesised that SARS-CoV-2 was created as a form of
biological weapon. Genetic evidence, on the other hand, refutes this theory and demonstrates
that SARS-CoV-2 did not originate from a previously identified viral genome.
Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and comparison with other coronavirus genomes show
that the virus has distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other coronaviruses.
This leads us to a point where COVID-19 is strongly suspected of being a biological weapon.
An act of bioterrorism is the deliberate release of biological agents or poisons with the intent
to cause injury to or the death of people, animals, or plants with the goal of intimidating or
pressuring a state or group of people to promote religious purposes, disrupt society, or for an
economic or ideological agenda.
There are several reasons why COVID-19 is seen as an act of bioterrorism, but most of these
reasons are not backed by scientific analysis and thereby makes the justification of COVID19, being a bioweapon, erroneous or inaccurate. These sorts of reasons are termed conspiracies
since they have no scientific basis and are designed to prey on pre-established suspicions, so
they can seem to be viable alternatives. People who come across this information see it as
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finding missing pieces of a puzzle. Taking a deeper look at these conspiracies enables us to
discover a hidden agenda, which is being pushed either for personal gains or other ulterior
motives. I would like to touch on a number of conspiracy theories that have made ways through
several media outlets.
[Conspiracy 1]
Conspiracy theories linking 5G technology with Covid-19 have gone viral , with a theory that
5G damages the human immune system and tends to activate the virus in the human body.
Initial hypotheses on the connection between the coronavirus and 5G have now exploded into
a variety of crazy theories. Some claim that 5G networks produce radiation, which in turn
causes the virus to manifest. Others assert that the allegations of the new coronavirus were a
front to conceal the placement of 5G towers. Some reports promote the concept that Covid-19
and 5G are components of a larger campaign to "depopulate" Earth. Since wireless technology
has long been the subject of conspiracy theories, the argument over whether or not devices like
cell phones might cause brain cancer or subject users to mind control has acquired renewed
interest with the introduction of 5G technology. According to some claims, 5G, like prior
generations of cellular technology, also kills birds or causes cancer. Others go farther, claiming
that the technology might lead to "electromagnetic sensitivity," which results in headaches and
immune system damage.
Major medical organisations have said that there is no correlation between coronavirus and 5G
and that it is safe. But anti-5G demonstrators came to the streets while the majority of the UK
remained home alone.
Additionally, about 100 cell towers were set on fire, and there were assaults against telecom
workers.
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Fig. 1
Fig. 1 Residents burn down 5G Towers, claiming they are causing coronavirus spread. (David
Richards, 4th April 20220)
The buzz surrounding the spread of 5G in Covid-19 has not been supported by science and is
being used to advance a global agenda for the development and evolution of 5G services. Due
to the agenda's potential to obstruct 5G telecommunications' route to expansion, it will be
perceived as a form of biological attack. This thereby does not give enough weight to the
justification for COVID-19 to be a biological weapon.
[Conspiracy 2]
Coronavirus was engineered by a group of people, headed by Bill Gates, to have all individuals
forcibly vaccinated with already manufactured vaccines. These vaccines had chips integrated
into them, which would enable him to get total control of the human race, for economical and
depopulation purposes. It wasn't clear what a computer firm founder had to do with
epidemiology-related issues, this led to more theories being developed.
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Fig. 2
Fig. 2 Bill Gates funding of factories for potential virus vaccines. (Business Insider).
Conspiracy theories surrounding Bill Gates' enormous wealth and charity contributions have
long been a focus of attention. However, in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak,
allegations against the tech billionaire have intensified. “The Gates Foundation is currently
investing billions of dollars to ensure that all medical treatments include the chips because a
significant portion of people will refuse the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine because it will
contain tracking microchips. As a result, the only way to avoid being "chipped" will be to refuse
any vaccination and all dental and medical treatment”. All these claims about Bill Gates do not
have scientific backing and thereby cannot aid in justifying the notion that COVID-19 is a
biological weapon that has been engineered for any purpose. Although it may seem like a more
viable reason for Bill Gates to make a few more millions from the sale of vaccines, there is no
defensible evidence to prove that he is involved in engineering COVID-19. ‘Over the past 20
years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent $53.8 billion on issues ranging from
public health to economic development’. (Emmanuel Dunand, 2020) . This thereby confirms
his involvement in a major health issue affecting the world.
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[Conspiracy 3]
Other theories such as the corona virus originating from a Chinese lab in Wuhan, tend to have
an agenda to cause fear and panic among the Chinese citizens. This will in turn have an impact
on China’s economic stability, social status, and other sectors. All these theories are not based
on scientific findings and thereby does not justify COVID-19 to be a biological weapon.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3 Donald Trump at a press briefing with members of the White House Corona Task Force.
(Sarah Silbiger, April 18, 2020).
Between March 16 and March 30, the president used the phrase "Chinese virus" more than 20
times, according to the database website Factbase. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, accused
China of endangering the globe due to its lack of transparency, even calling off a joint G7
statement after its members objected to calling the infection the "Wuhan virus."
Fig. 4
Fig.4 Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry new spokesman, during a daily briefing at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing. (February 24, 2020).
Zhao's remarks reflected a widely believed conspiracy in China that claimed American military
troops had imported the virus to China while they attended the 2019 Military World Games in
Wuhan last October. This conspiracy theory followed suspicion raised by the U.S. Senator Tom
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Cotton and others that the virus had emanated from Wuhan’s level 4 laboratory, a high-security
lab connected with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
This is all happening in a time where most nations are trying to show superiority over one
another. These forms of theories serve to create public fear and panic by using the pandemic
as a medium, which does not justify COVID-19 to be an act of bioterrorism.
Despite the fact that COVID-19 appears to be a biologically manufactured weapon for a
number of reasons, there is currently no scientific evidence to support this. Even if one of these
theories were to be true, there would still be no compelling evidence that COVID-19 is a
bioweapon that could be used to commit an act of bioterrorism until it is established
scientifically that a person or group of people purposefully engineered this pandemic for their
own personal gain.
REFERENCE
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1. Gupta, V., Bankar, N., & Chandankhede, M. (2021). The COVID-19 - An Agent for
Bioterrorism? Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 279–284.
https://doi.org/10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i40b32288
2. Baton Rouge General. (2020, March 24). What Does “Novel” Coronavirus Mean?
3. Ciotti, M., Ciccozzi, M., Terrinoni, A., Jiang, W. C., Wang, C. bin, & Bernardini, S.
(2020). The COVID-19 pandemic. In Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences
(pp.
365–388).
Taylor
and
Francis
Ltd.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10408363.2020.1783198
4. Vector: Biological Evidence Exploitation Workshop and Anti-smuggling BioTerrorism
Operation Live Agent: Bioterrorism Operational Response Exercise. (n.d.).
www.interpol.int
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